Sydney Morning Herald columnist

We now know why the Prime Minister has instigated the longest election campaign in political history. It will stave off the need for any by-elections, thus preserving the Gillard government for its full term. Yet even in a campaign lasting eight months, the most important issue may still be related to the margins.

The issue that dwarfs all others is the fundamental soundness of the eastern food basin, where 40 per cent of Australia's food is grown. That food basin is no longer fundamentally sound. It is stressed, though still sound, but not fundamentally sound. It is far less self-sustaining than it was when Europeans arrived and thought they could do better than a million years of evolution. The buggering process has been under way for 200 years and is ongoing.

More water and soil is being depleted than is being replenished - and now an entirely new threat has emerged. Consider this remarkable statistic: according to the maps published by the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin Authority, the area covered by mining leases in Queensland's Murray-Darling catchment area is now 40 per cent.

Think about that. Mining is water intensive. It consumes as much water as agriculture. It is going to be impossible for extensive new mining operations in Queensland not to impinge on the production of food downstream.

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The area was stressed even before the coal and gas boom, so much so that the latest report of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation describes the Murray-Darling Basin as ''at risk''. The organisation's report says a number of the basin's river systems ''face the risk of progressive breakdown of their productive capacity under a combination of excessive demographic pressure and unsustainable agricultural use and practices''.

The CSIRO is also concerned and has been for some time. It issued a warning in 2006 that Australia's water resources were ''precariously balanced''. This was before the NSW and Queensland mining booms were in full swing.

Last week, the Federal Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke, granted approval to expand coal seam gas projects in NSW that represent a potential 500 per cent increase in the state's coal seam gas production.

Burke also granted conditional approval for the Maules Creek coalmine in north-western NSW, the site of extensive community opposition. He also granted conditional approval for expansion of the nearby Boggabri coal mine.

NSW farmers also face a real threat from Queensland. If all or most of the proposed Queensland mines go into production, it would have a significant effect on the food-growing capacity downstream.

Last month, Cubbie Station, the vast cotton-producing and water-diverting farm operation in the head of the Murray-Darling catchment area in southern Queensland, was sold to a Chinese-led consortium for $240 million.

This was a golden opportunity missed. According to the CSIRO, the cotton industry uses about 1600 litres of water to generate $1 of output. During a 12-year drought, in 2009, Cubbie went into voluntary administration with a debt of $320 million.

That was the time for government intervention to buy the operation, take it out of production and dismantle its extensive system of reservoirs, which stretch for 28 kilometres. It is a system made massively inefficient by evaporation. Cubbie has been the source of intense and sustained criticism by farmers downstream in NSW who have accused the operation of destroying river flows, an accusation always denied.

Buying Cubbie Station to shut it down is not a new idea and it is not my idea.

Bob Carr told me that when he was the premier of NSW he had wanted to buy Cubbie and shut it down. He had discreetly approached his then Queensland Labor counterpart, then premier Peter Beattie, but the Queenslanders had rejected the idea.

Ten years later, a federal Labor government has been busy buying water rights to offset the wild over-allocation by state governments over previous decades. The federal program has not been nearly enough to stop the encroachment on water and soil depletion.

How, you may ask, does the eastern mining boom fit with the CSIRO assessment in 2006 (Echohydrology: Vegetation Function, Water and Resource Management) that ''the Australian continental water budget is precariously balanced … Too many aquifers are being over-extracted … Groundwater use across Australia doubled between 1983 and 1996 … In most states, groundwater extraction exceeds licensed allocations … the beef cattle industry uses 800 litres of water to generate $1 of product''.

All this was written before much of the massive allocation of mining leases for coal seam gas, coal, oil and minerals extraction.

I recently reminded Carr of his Cubbie project when he launched a new book by Michael Mobbs, the owner of a famous sustainable house in Chippendale.

The book, Sustainable Food, addresses what people should do to buttress themselves against any future food price shock.

He recommends a return to backyard vegetable gardens and communal street gardens like the ones he has been successfully operating in his home and along his street, Myrtle Street, Chippendale.

''Why is it important to farm in the city?'' he asks. ''Because soon we may have no choice.''

That may seem unduly bleak, but Australia is going to have to do something about expanding its food production capacity, because too much reliance has been put on a system under too much stress.

This gives the Coalition's idea of creating a new food bowl in northern Australia a new perspective, because at the rate NSW and Queensland are going, more food will have to be imported from overseas as domestic supplies become both more scarce and more expensive.

If all this does not become an election issue, we will reap what we deserve.

83 comments

People living near CSG mines in America can light their tap water on fire.

Footage of the effects of fracking www.youtube.com/watch?v=U01EK76Sy4A

Tony Burke will become the scapegoat in years to come. I think he will deserve it.

Commenter

Tim

Location

Sydney

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 4:04AM

The LNP Queensland government passed a law stating that CSG and coal mines could not operate with 2 kilometres of a town of 2,000 people.

Have a look at the number of towns with 2,000 people west of Toowoomba.

Always having a laugh is the Queensland LNP.

Commenter

J. Fraser

Location

Queensland

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 5:51AM

In NSW Barry said he would stop CSG..........got in & guess what.....we are going full steam ahead for more CSG mines.

Commenter

Bazza

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 10:20AM

Documentary investigating the medium and long term effects of coal seam fracking

www.gaslandthemovie.com/

There are people lighting their tap water on fire, shocking.

Commenter

Concerned

Location

United States of Australia

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 4:07AM

Yes how true,the politicians,the states,they are all just interested in the quick money from mining and gas exploration....the royalties they will receive....the previous NSW labor government proved that with their very dodgy under the table dealings lining their pockets by the way not ours.Politicians in this country have very little foresight,they have a 3 year term and all they are interested in is balancing budgets while there in power.Its always been like this and with the current bunch of morons on both sides of politics nothing will change.

Commenter

Boz

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 4:08AM

Can't wait for the election ads where they play you know who saying "there will be no carbon tax under the govt I lead". Can I also suggest an ad with pink batts to the tune "we didn't start the fire". Suggest others.

Commenter

The Truth

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 4:35AM

Yes - the Pink Batts one would be good.

It could be subtitled - this is why the Liberals don't trust small business - look what happened when Labor did.

Even the Carbon Tax one would be good - they could show Julia saying it and keep the cameras rolling for the rest of the statement - but I am determined to put a price on carbon, and they could show the Liberals promising us an ETS in 2007.

The Truth - you give yourself a nice name, but your behaviour is anything but truthful.

Commenter

Ross

Location

MALLABULA

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 5:19AM

The Truth, and the ads of course will leave that quote unfinished won't they? Because the second half of the statement is where Gillard says the voters should make no mistake and that Labor/Gillard is absolutely determined to put a price on carbon.

Incompetent private sector installers started the fire - the Government's mistake was not to be there to put them out. Aren't you lot the ones running around screaming about nanny states every time the Government does want to oversee something?

Commenter

jofek

Date and time

February 18, 2013, 5:32AM

Interesting, but I think you missed the point of Paul's powerful article. All the things that you mention will be forgotten trivia if things keep going as they are.

Thinly regulated mining an gas extraction is undermining whole areas of our country which have produced our food or been the basis of our water supplies. Apart from the human cost these activities have the potential to destroy our sustenance, take away public and Australian ownership of water resources, and strangely, in a land which already has ample gas resources for its own people and manufacturing, to lead to huge increases in gas prices for homes, businesses and manufacturing. Where will all the money from devilish this boom go to?

You only have to watch and listen to Tony Burke and Chris Hartcher to understand that both sides of politics are conniving at this plundering, right down to mouthing and echoing the carefully crafted assurances of the coalminers and frackers. The long term interests of the Australian people and their children do not get a look in.